Successful People Management

Successful People Management.

Lacking fundamental training in managing people is one thing. But, lacking the values, sensitivity, and awareness needed to interact effectively all day long with people, is a disaster. Managers make mistakes, however, some of these are most likely to make you a terrible manager—the type of manager that employees love to leave.

How important is it to help managers succeed? Beyond description. Managers and how they manage their reporting staff set the tone for your entire business operation. Managers are the frontline representation of your business. Skills and techniques are easier to teach, but values, beliefs, and attitudes are much harder to teach—and harder for managers to learn. Yet, these are the underlying issues that will most make managers successful—or not.

People leave managers, not jobs or employers. So, this is why educating them and coaching them for success matters to you and your employees. You are the cog that holds your organization together because all of your employees report to you—for better or worse. When employees resign, the top reason for their resignation is their relationship with their manager/you.

All small business owners are the boss or the leader in their offices. As business leaders, they love to think that they’re perfect, but the truth is, nasty habits can creep into everyday life without our even noticing. Here are some habits that may be minor, but they might also be hampering your chances of success. Stop these habits right now.

Value people

Believe in two-way, frequent effective communication and listening.

Want to create an environment in which employees are empowered to take charge of their jobs.

Be able to hold people accountable and responsible without using punitive measures.

Demonstrate leadership and the ability to set clear direction.

People First

In a people-oriented, forward-looking organization, you’ll want to interview and select managers who exhibit these characteristics.

Since they are in a position to influence a large number of your employees, you want to make sure that you get both components right.

Within the cultural fit component of your interview and selection process, a candidate for a manager position must demonstrate that he or she has beliefs, values, and a work style that are congruent with those of your organization.

In a job description for a manager, core job functions, traits, and abilities are listed.

With this as a guide, manager selection should focus on both the management skills and the candidates’ cultural fit.

This includes having a commitment to empowering and enabling other employees to also contribute their best work.

Avoid These Mistakes

Preventing management mistakes and dumb decisions is paramount for a successful organization. If you want to become a better manager, there are some managing mistakes you most want to notice, prevent, and avoid.

Knowing Employees

Don’t just know employees; know people.

Know who they are as a person.

You don’t want to be your employees’ divorce counselor or therapist, but you do want to know what’s happening in their lives.

Developing a relationship with reporting employees is a key factor in managing.

Knowing that the dog died, expressing sympathy, or that her daughter won a coveted award at school make you an interested, involved boss.

When you know where the employee is going on vacation or that his kids play soccer, you are taking a healthy interest in your employees’ lives.

Knowing employees will make you a better manager, a manager who is more responsive to employee needs, moods, and life cycle events.

Failure to Guide

If you make every task a priority, people will soon believe that there are no priorities.

More importantly, they will never feel as if they have accomplished a complete task or goal.

Managers fail to create standards and give people clear expectations, so they know what they are supposed to do, and wonder why they fail.

You need to achieve an appropriate balance that allows you to lead employees and provide direction without dictating and destroying employee empowerment and employee engagement.

Within your clear expectations, if you are either too rigid or too flexible, your reporting employees will feel rudderless.

Lastly, remember that a business’ strength is derived from its unique human capital, which deserves the investment in your well-being just as much as anything else. Contact HyperEffects to chart out a tailor-made tool for your business processes to be more swift, organised and easy.